Drought Relief Project: Togdheer region, Central Somaliland

Situation
The most recent drought in the Horn of Africa has become prominent in the news in
recent weeks. In normal years, Somaliland and Somalia experience two rainy seasons,
around the months of May and September. The September 2016 rainy season completely
failed in most regions of the Horn of Africa, and this was the third season in a row of poor
or no rains. The crisis is therefore expected to reach its peak in March-May 2017 before -
hopefully - the rains will come again in May.

Estimates are that about 50% of the population of the Horn are nomadic or semi-nomadic
and heavily reliant on livestock. There have been some reports of human deaths in the
region. Moreover, local reports indicate that malnutrition is an increasing issue, especially
for people in the countryside. The most severe aspects of the drought, however, are the
lack of drinking water and the loss of livestock. According to local informants, the
majority of livestock (sheep, goats, camels) owned by nomads in the countryside have
either perished or had to be sold in order to buy water for families. A large number of
people in the countryside have lost their livelihoods.